When Angels And Serpents Dance
by muhkayluh
Summary: Who's leading? Leading you?  Everything you say, everything that you do!  Believe in what is true.  One must lead in the dance, Who's leading you?  Life's real, When Angels & Serpents Dance.      Zachary James Baker .    Avenged Sevenfold .  muhkayluh .
1. Chapter 1

Zachary James Baker sighed gingerly as he pulled his work boots from his tired feet, wincing softly as he pressed his thumb into the heel of his aching foot. His soft, pale green eyes wandered up to the clock on the wall; it read 3:32AM. Zachary exhaled softly, running his tired hands through his disheveled hair as he stood from his chair, slowly walking up the stairs that led into the upper part of his two story house.

Zachary slowly unbuttoned the navy blue shirt, tugging it from his broad shoulders as he stepped into his room. He clasped his hand around the large, black pager that hung from his belt, gently lifting it from his belt and setting it on the nightstand beside his bed. He placed his hands on his belt, slowly unbuckling it and pulling it from around his waist. He slid his work pants down his legs, kicking them from his ankles and catching them in his hands as they flew up in the air. Zachary chuckled to himself as he tossed the navy blue pants into the hamper.

Stretching his tattooed arms above his head and yawning loudly, Zachary climbed into bed, leaning over to reach for the TV control at the other end of the bed. As he flipped through the channels, a news channel caught his eye. He sat up in bed, staring contently at the TV screen, immediately recognizing the scene before him.

_Two young adults were found in critical condition after a shocking car crash just hours ago. A night on the town ended with the car being pummeled by an intoxicated driver. The car flipped several times before being thrown into a tree several yards away from the accident. The intoxicated driver was not killed, but left the accident with several broken bones, bruises and cuts. More information will be released shortly._

Zachary pressed the power button on the remote, sighing as he ran his sweaty hands through his hair. Tears swam in his emerald orbs as he replayed the accident over in his mind.

"_I'm here to help you. You are going to be okay sweetheart. Just listen to me, how many fingers am I holding up?" The girl struggled to stand, failing miserably as she fell back in Zachary's arms. He sighed, holding up his hand once again, displaying three fingers as he shone a bright light into each of her eyes._

"_Three." She cried out, screaming in pain as Matt and Zachary wrapped a neck brace around her neck. Johnny, another paramedic who showed up on scene, carried over a bright, yellow backboard. Johnny scooted it under her as Matt and Zack lifted her carefully to place her on the board. The young men strapped her head down into the protective socket and hoisted her onto the gurney._

"_COLBY! WHERE'S COLBY?" The young woman screamed out, tears streaming down her bloody face, struggling to get up. Zachary placed his hand on the woman's bloody arm, pouring alcohol in each of her wounds, trying to clean her up. Her agonizing screams pierced Zack's ears, only breaking his heart more as she sobbed._

"_Colby is alright. He is being transferred to the hospital in another ambulance. He will be okay. Please, hold still honey so I can clean you up." She stopped struggling, crying softly as Zack cleaned her up. He wiped her arms down with a wet rag, cuts and bruises littering her tattooed arms. _

"_What's your name?" Zachary asked, continuing to wipe down her arms, careful not to hurt her anymore._

"_Cadence." Zack smiled softly as she whispered her name. He watched as she closed her dark eyes, tears still crawling down her reddened cheeks. Zack placed the empty bottle of alcohol in the biohazard container on the wall, grabbing gauze off the racks and placing them over her cuts._

"_How old are you? Do you feel any sort of pressure in your arms, legs, stomach, or head?" _

"_I'm 26. Yeah. In my stomach I feel a little pressure. In my right leg, I feel massive pressure. I think it is broken. My neck hurts, really bad; and I have a fucking headache." Zachary chuckled at her last statement, grabbing scissors off the racks just above her head._

"_I'm going to cut your jeans so I can take a look at your legs." _

"_Awe, man. Come on. These are my favorite jeans." Zachary snorted as he cut from the bottom of her jeans, all the way up to her thighs. He glanced at her leg, knowing immediately that is was broken. He raised his eyebrows as he covered her legs back up, know reaching for her stomach. He applied pressure, glancing up at her face as she winced._

"_I think you may have some internal injuries, but let's leave it up to the doctor to decide on that. Let's check your pulse." As Zachary checked her pulse, she fell silent; not moving, not uttering a word. Zachary pushed her blood crusted hair out from her face and stared down at her, she was beautiful. Even in the blood that covered her body, she was beautiful. He didn't understand why this had to happen to her._

Zachary reached up and wiped the warm, salty tears from his face. He cleared his throat as he stood from the bed, turning off the light and slowly walking back to bed. Her face never left his mind. He has seen many girls in his life, helped many girls in his life, and has also had many girlfriends, but this one girl. This one, blood encrusted girl stood out to him the most. He didn't understand why, it was beyond him to figure it out.


	2. Chapter 2

Cadence Jean Waverly yawned softly as she crossed her tired arms against her chest, feeling her eyes slowly droop as she rested her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. Her dark, mysterious brown eyes seemed to scream out for sleep, but she wouldn't allow herself to fall. Cadence sighed, glancing up at her boyfriend, tugging softly on his arm as she stood from her spot. Colby stared up at her, his hazel eyes also in a tired state. He mirrored her actions, grunting as he slowly rose from the couch. Cadence smiled softly as he threw his arm in the air, waving his hand around, yelling out a tired goodbye to their friends.

Cadence followed Colby from the rowdy house, slipping into the passenger seat of their 1966 Ford Mustang. Cadence yawned, pressing her forehead against the cold glass of the window, letting her eyes slip shut as she heard Colby step into the car. Her mind went blank and she slowly fell into a light sleep, still able to hear each and every sound around her. Cadence felt an uneasy feeling hit her stomach. She winced slightly, opening her eyes, and at that very moment, everything seemed to be traveling in slow motion.

The car came at them full speed, hitting their car with such force, flipping them several times before the car folded against a tree, crushing the top completely against it. Cadence whimpered, rocking her head back and forth, screaming out in pain as she pulled herself from the pummeled seat. Salty tears soaked into the fresh cut flesh of her cheeks, turning the tears red as they continued down her dirty face.

Cadence slowly crawled through an opening of the shaved metal, screaming out in pain as she clutched her leg, rolling onto her back, her lungs throbbing from the amount of screaming that escaped her rugged body.

Sirens could be heard in the distance as Cadence tried pulling her body up into a standing position. She limped over to the other side of the car, tears streaming down her face as she lowered herself to the ground, eyes scanning the inside of the broken car, not finding what she wanted inside.

Cadence screamed, thrusting her fist against the grass, tears escaping her dark eyes. Cadence rolled onto her back, a man with a paramedics uniform was in view. Cadence stood up, clutching onto the man's leg as she pulled herself up. She leaned her body against his as he took her in his arms.

"I'm here to help you. You are going to be okay sweetheart. Just listen to me, how many fingers am I holding up?" Cadence struggled to stand as she gripped onto his navy blue shirt. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, bringing the man down with her. The man sighed, holding up his hand once again. Cadence flinched as he shone a bright light into each of her eyes.

"Three." Cadence cried as another man joined their side. Soft hands went around her neck, lifting her head up slowly as they placed a brace around her neck. Cadence closed her eyes softly as she heard the boots of yet another man join them. He was carrying a long, bright yellow backboard. The short man placed it on the ground beside her as the other two gently rolled her to one side. The backboard was scooted beneath her and she was rolled back onto her back.

Cadence felt a sticky substance around her forehead as they strapped her head into the protective socket of the backboard., lifting her bloody body onto the gurney beside them. Cadence screamed out, trying to rock her head back and forth, but failing miserably.

"COLBY! WHERE'S COLBY?" Cadence cried, struggling to lift herself from the gurney. She felt the soft hands of the young man wrap around her arm, the sting of alcohol being poured into her wounds made her scream out in pain once again.

"Colby is alright. He is being transferred to the hospital in another ambulance. He will be okay. Please, hold still honey so I can clean you up." Cadence gave up, tears softly flowing from her eyes as she stared up at the man who had piercing green eyes and a soft voice.

"What's your name?"

"Cadence." The man above her smiled softly as he continued to clean her up. Cadence closed her eyes, the tears still managing to escape her eyes.

"I'm Zacky. How old are you? Do you feel any sort of pressure in your arms, legs, stomach, or head?" Cadence nodded gently.

"I'm 26. Yeah. In my stomach I feel a little pressure. In my right leg, I feel massive pressure. I think it is broken. My neck hurts, really bad; and I have a fucking headache." Cadence heard the man above her chuckle, a small smile raising her blood crusted lips. She watched him closely as he reached above her, grabbing a pair of scissors from the shelf.

"I'm going to cut your jeans so I can take a look at your legs."

"Awe, man. Come on. These are my favorite jeans." Cadence heard Zacky snort above her, as he reached for her jeans. She cried softly as he cut them, not stopping until he reached the middle of her bruised thigh. Zacky nodded as he placed her jeans over her leg, pressing his hand into her stomach, glancing up at her as she winced in pain. Cadence cried softly, opening her eyes as Zacky spoke.

"I think you may have some internal injuries, but let's leave it up to the doctor to decide on that. Let's check your pulse." Cadence slowly started to drift away, as she felt a hand push her blood encrusted hair out of her face. The pain, the worry, the misery subsided as she drifted away, not knowing where she would end up.


	3. Chapter 3

Zachary James Baker stood with his back against the white wall, running his fingers through his sweaty hair as his tired eyes followed the frantic people as they scurried around the hospital. He opened his mouth wide as a yawn escaped, a groan protruding from the back of his throat as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Hey man, whatcha up too?" Matthew Charles Sanders slapped a hand down on the tired man's shoulder, a whine escaping the crevice of his lips as he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the cold wall.

"Just waiting for our fucking shift to be over. I am tired as hell, man." Zack sighed, running his sweaty palms down his face, glancing up at the taller man that stood beside him. Matthew nodded, pulling the small, plastic bottle up to his lips, taking in the last of the clear liquid that clung to the bottom.

"So, did you hear anything on that girl from the other night?" Matthew asked, catching Zack's full attention. Zachary's mind slipped away to replay the accident from the other night, shaking his head as he let his eyes slip down to the floor.

"I know what room she is in, if you want to go and see her." Zachary smiled, nodding his head as he followed Matt to the elevators, excitement growing in his heart as he stared at the red, block numbers playing on the small screen just above the elevator doors. A ding echoed throughout the silent elevator, the doors opening slowly as Matt stepped out first, Zachary following closely behind.

Matthew stopped in front of a closed door, glancing back at Zack, biting his lip softly before pressing his hand to the cold handle. Matt opened the door quietly, letting Zack peek his head inside. Zachary's heart broke as he saw the beautiful girl from just a few nights ago laying motionless in the uncomfortable hospital bed.

"Can I help you two?" Zack jumped, turning around quickly, eying the boy that stood just a few feet from him. Zack opened his mouth, nothing coming out as he tried to speak.

"Uhm, my friend, Zack here, wanted to come check up on...Uh..." Matt glanced down at his friend, hoping that Zachary had caught her name just a few nights back.

"Cadence." Zachary whispered, just barely enough to were Matt could hear him.

"Cadence, right. Yeah, we are the paramedics that helped her and her boyfriend in the accident the other night. We came to see if she was doing alright." The boy nodded, slipping between the two as he slowly walked into the bright room. He grabbed a chair and scooted it next to her bed, taking a seat as he glanced back at the men.

"You guys gonna come in?" The boy asked.

"Zack, why don't you go ahead. I have to get downstairs and talk to Johnny." Zachary nodded his head and he stepped into the room, placing a hand on his hip and running his fingers through his hair as he grabbed a chair from the windowsill, bringing it next to Cadence's bed, opposite the young boy.

"So, are you related to Cadence?" Zachary asked, placing his elbows on the wood arms of the chair, folding his fingers between each other as he glanced up at the raven haired kid.

"I'm her younger brother, Roen. You are?" Zachary smiled, his gaze leaving Roen and landing back on Cadence, she looked peaceful as her chest rose, slowy falling back down to it's original state.

"I'm Zachary Baker. You can call me Zack or Zacky. Whichever you prefer." Zack smiled at Roen, earning a slight smile back. He watched closely as Roen reached for his sister's hand, taking it gently between both of his, bringing it to his lips, closing his eyes as he pressed them against her hand.

"Thank you. You practically saved her life the other night. I don't know what I would ever do if I lost my sister." Zachary choked back tears, his breath hitching in his throat as he nodded his head softly, a weak smile playing at his lips.

"We don't have any immediate family. It is just Cadence and I. And her stupid ass boyfriend is always around. I hate him." Roen glanced up at Zack, tears visible in his hazel eyes.

"You don't like her boyfriend?" Zack leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, pressing his palms together as he laced his fingers.

"I fucking hate that prick. He treats Cadence like shit. He treats me like shit. He hits her sometimes. She is just so afraid of being alone that she just won't get rid of him. I just wish sometimes he was dead." Roen groaned, biting his lip as he looked away, letting the tears fall quietly from his eyes.

"I know how you feel, bro. I know exactly how you feel." Roen nodded, wiping his tears away as he stared back down at his sister.

"So, what made you want to come visit her? I've never heard of paramedics visiting the patients before, unless they were family or some shit." Zachary grinned, he liked this kid. He leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs slightly as he placed his laced hands on his chest.

"Uhm, well, Cadence and I talked a little bit the other night while I was helping her in the ambulance. I got to know her somewhat. She was funny. Making jokes while she was in complete pain. I wanted to make sure she was okay, because I want to get to know her better."

"Yeah, Cadence is definitely a character." Roen chuckled to himself, staring down at his beloved sister, grasping her hand again as he brought it to his lips.

"Could you maybe...tell me more about her?" Roen slightly glared at Zack as he placed Cadence's hand gently on her stomach.

"Tell me about you first, then I'll tell you about her." Zack nodded.

"Well, my name is Zachary James Baker. I am 27 years old. I've been a paramedic for 5 years. I have lots of tattoos, a couple piercings, which I am not really allowed to have at my job, but I do it anyways 'cause I like to break the rules. Uhm, I play guitar every once in a while when I am not busy. That's about it."

"You seem like a cool person, Zack."

"This is Cadence Jean Waverly. She is 26 years old and very headstrong. Cadence will not take no for an answer, ever. Don't argue with her, she will always win. Cadence is extremely funny and loves to goof around a lot, even when people are trying to be serious. She loves music, and also, plays the occasional guitar and piano. She sings, which she is fucking amazing at. And she has a temper."

Zachary smiled softly to himself as he stared down at the gorgeous girl, wishing ever so much to reach down and touch her bruised and broken face. His heart raced in his chest as he continued staring at her, getting lost in his thoughts, not listening to a word Roen was uttering.

"Dude. Bro?" Roen asked, staring at him wide eyed before Zack responded. Zachary shook the thoughts from his mind as he rose from his chair, letting his sweaty palms travel down his navy blue work pants.

"Thank you for everything. Cadence seems like an amazing person. I have to roll now, people are probably waiting for me downstairs. I abandoned my job." Zachary chuckled as he shoved his hands into his pockets, slowly walking towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you Zack. Please, don't feel obliged to come back later. I am sure Cadence would love to talk to you when she wakes up. I'd like to talk to you more too." Zack smiled softly as he stepped from the room, his smile growing larger as he advanced towards the elevator. He thought about Cadence the rest of the day, the smile never fading from his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Roen Mitchel Waverly sighed heavily as he ran his large hand through the sweaty, tangled mess of hair on top of his head. Glancing down at his watch, Roen shook his head. The time nearing almost 8:30 in the morning. Roen lifted his hand up, gently rubbing his tired eyes, glancing down at his motionless sister. Tears threatened to fall from his hazel eyes, but he wouldn't let them. He needed to stay strong.

Roen reached for Cadence's hand, pressing both of his to her cold, bruised one, bringing it up to his lips gently as he closed his eyes. The tears pushing their way through the tightly closed crevices of his eyes, raining down onto Cadence's soft hand.

Roen jumped slightly as he felt a small squeeze on his hand. He tore his hazel eyes open, jumping from his seat as he stared down at the girl. A small smile was plastered on her lips as her damaged eyes opened, pulling a heavily bruised arm over them as she struggled to sit up in the uncomfortable bed.

"Roen? Can you turn off the fucking light? Damn." Roen couldn't move. His large eyes just stared down at her, as if none of this were real. Cadence glanced up at him, smiling as he slowly backed away, flipping the light switch off.

"Cadence. How do you feel?" Roen asked, lowering himself back into the uncomfortable chair. He couldn't peel his eyes away from her. He was stunned beyond belief.

"I feel...Like shit, but that's okay. At least I am awake right?" Cadence chuckled, relief pulsing through Roen's veins as a smile spread on his lips. Cadence groaned softly as she pulled herself into a sitting position, gently pulling her legs as close to her as possible before setting her hands in her lap.

"Uhm. This guy, Zacky, he came here yesterday." Cadence softly smiled, her brown eyes glowing in the dark room. Cadence had remembered the nice man with the piercing green eyes from just a few days back. He helped her. He had practically saved her life.

"Oh yeah. What did he want?" Cadence asked, running her throbbing fingers through her tangled, curly hair.

"He wanted to know more about you. I told him to tell me about him first, before I told him about you." Cadence grinned, glancing down at her fingers as she played with them in a nervous manner.

"What is he like?" Cadence asked, leaning forward slightly. A grimace shot through her face as she reached behind her, bringing her hand down on the bruised area of her back, rubbing it softly.

"He is really nice. Like, extremely nice. I don't remember all that he said, but I like him. A whole hell of a lot more then fucking Colby." Cadence nodded her head, her eyes growing dark once again as she thought about her boyfriend.

"Is he alright? Have you heard anything?" Roen grunted, shaking his head as Cadence sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned back into the pillows.

A loud knock filled the room as Cadence lifted her tired eyes, a small smile growing on her sore lips as the [s]beautiful[/s], green-eyed man named Zacky stood by the door. His piercing green eyes lit up as they landed on her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as she sat up in bed, smiling softly at him as he slowly walked across the room.

"Hi." Cadence whispered, her dark eyes never leaving his as he pulled up a chair next to her bed. Roen smiled at the two, silently standing and slithering out of the room.

"Hello Cadence. How are you feeling?" Cadence tilted her head to the side, drawing in a deep breath before she started to talk.

"Honestly, I feel like fucking shit. I need some vicodin or something because pain is just...ugh. Everywhere." Zachary nodded his head, reaching up and pressing the [i]Nurse[/i] button just to the side of her bed.

"We'll get you some, hon. I, uhm, talked to your brother yesterday. He's a cool kid." Zach grinned as his eyes averted towards his fingers in his lap, nervously playing with them just as Cadence had done moments ago.

"Yeah. He told me you two had a chat. Roen is the coolest fucking 19 year old ever." Zachary smiled, his heart racing in his chest as he brought his emerald eyes back up to hers. The way her chocolate eyes shone with wonder amazed Zach. The girl was in so much unbearable pain, yet she still held a beautiful smile on her gorgeous face.

"So, Zacky...tell me about yourself. Roen couldn't remember what you had told him yesterday. Little shit." Zacky chuckled as a nurse hustled into the room, her eyes growing wide as she saw that Cadence was awake.

"Medicine time?" The nurse smiled, pulling two pills from her shirt pocket, placing them in Cadence's open hand. The nurse handed her a small cup of water, watching her closely as she popped the pills into her mouth, shooting the cup of water back as if it were a shot.

"Thanks." Cadence whispered, averting her gaze back to the mysterious man to the left of her bed. Zach watched as the nurse smiled, slowly backing out of the room before his light eyes landed back on her.

"Oh! About me. Yeah. Right." Cadence giggled softly, shifting in her bed so she was now facing Zach.

"Well, my name is Zachary James Baker. I am 27 years old. I've been a paramedic for 5 years. I love sports, played baseball throughout my four years of high school. Uhm, I have two dogs. Ichabod and Majesty. I am single. I have been for about 2 years, and it sucks. I play a little bit of guitar, only really when I have nothing to do. Uh, yeah. That's pretty much it." Cadence smiled, shrugging her shoulders up as a slight blush arose on her cheeks.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend? Last time I checked, you were pretty fucking cute." The blush on Zach's face grew deeper as she stared at him, waiting patiently for his answer.

"Well, she cheated on me. Multiple times. I didn't want anything to do with her anymore, so I left. Not saying a word to her." Cadence nodded, restraining herself from saying the sentence that ran through her mind.

"Roen told me a little about you yesterday. I want to know more." Cadence grinned, breathing deep as she thought of what to say.

"My name is Cadence Jean Waverly. I am 26 years old. I like tattoos, as you can probably tell. Speaking of tattoos, yours are amazing. Anyways. I am a major goofball, so you better prepare yourself. I love music, with a burning passion. I play piano, on occasion, and I sing. Only for special people though." Zachary chuckled, smiling at her softly.

"Cadence, I don't want to invade your personal life, but Roen had told me about your boyfriend. Would you mind telling me about him?" Cadence sighed, knowing this was coming. Cadence knew Roen hated Colby, but he didn't have to go around telling everyone her business.

"It's okay. Colby and I have been together a little over a year. He isn't the best boyfriend in the world, but, I guess, I love him." It came out more as a question then anything. He saw the hurt lingering in her big, doe eyes, his heart aching from the pain that she had felt.

"He is good to me at times, then...he starts drinking. Then shit really hits the fan. I can't bring myself to stand up to him. I'm afraid of what he might do. I care for him, because I care for everyone. And I really shouldn't, but I do." Cadence reached her bruised hand up to her face, vigorously wiping the tears away.

"I'm sorry." Cadence chuckled, slowly bringing her dark eyes up to Zacky.

"Don't you dare apologize. You did nothing wrong." Cadence nodded her head, staring down at the white blanket that sat loosely in her lap.

"Cadence, you don't need him in your life. He is a worthless piece of shit who does nothing but hurt you. I don't like seeing you in pain, even though I've only really known you for a few minutes. I care about you. If you need me too, I will personally kick his ass and send him on his merry little way when you get out of this hell hole. What does he say to you? Like...mentally?" Zach asked, squinting his green eyes slightly as if trying to look through Cadence.

"He tells me I'm fat, ugly, worthless, stupid. Everything in the fucking book. He always says he never remembers anything because he is drunk, but I don't think I believe him."

"No man should ever lay a finger on a woman, ever. Nor fill her head with stupid lies. Cadence, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. No fucking joke. You are not fat, whatsoever. Worthless? Never. If men could only realize what hard work women go through just to please us. You are not worthless. Nor are you stupid, you are very smart. I can see it. Don't ever let that scumbag put you down again, you understand me?"

Cadence stared at Zacky. Her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open slightly as she processed his words I her brain. She didn't think anyone had ever said anything so sweet to her before. She nodded her head slowly as Zachary rose slowly from the chair.

"It was nice meeting you Cadence." Zachary leaned down and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her black and blue forehead. Cadence closed her eyes gently, feeling his warm lips leave her forehead as he offered her a beautiful smile before backing out of the silent room.

Cadence pressed her fingertips to her forehead, smiling softly as she glanced back at the door, hoping to see him standing there once again. She had only officially known Zachary for 45 minutes, but she felt as if her whole world had changed after that short moment they had spent together. Cadence knew that Zachary would be back. He was here to stay.


End file.
